Brief case



M. LIFTON July 14, 1936.

BRIEF CASE Filed June 1, 1935 INVENTOR. MUE/CEZ/Fm/v.

mg ATT EY.

Patented July 14, 1936 barren srA'iEs PATENT OFFIQE BRIEF CASEApplication June 1, 1935, Serial No. 24,476

3 Claims.

The invention relates to collapsible hand-bags,

such as brief cases or portfolios, particularly those having severalcompartments with division partitions, and especially those in which thepartitions are embraced at their margins by a gusseted flexible memberclosing in three sides of the brief case.

Such gusseted leather bellows brief-case structures, under the heavyloads of papers, books and miscellaneous contents with which they arehabitually charged, tend to sag at the bottom, bulge at the sides andacquire a generally scuffed and unattractive appearance at theprotruding portions, which limits their period of usefulness, even whenthey are far from being worn out by reason of the intrinsic excellenceof their component materials and workmanship.

Reinforcements of the bellows folds have been known in the art, and forthis purpose exterior strips of metal have been added, clipped over themarginal edges of the folds in the planes of the partitions; and otherreinforcements in the form of wire frames sewed into the folds asseparate units, the bellows structure being cut and therefore weakenedto permit tape-covered frames of such wire to be inserted in a positionwhere the tape, strip, or tab will embrace the margin of the partitionas well as the wire reinforcement frame itself.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a metalreinforcement structure which is adapted to be applied readily to themargins of the brief-case partitions of known types, while the same arein course of fabrication, or after removal from existing brief cases forthe purpose of such application, and which will be adapted, when socombined with the partitions, and then assembled with the circumjacentcontinuous bellows structure of approved type, to be enfolded I in thecreases or marginal folds of the bellows, and there secured byconventional stitching, so that no: drastic reconstruction or change ofessential components is required, either for embodiment of theimprovements in new cases or for its use in the renovation andstrengthening of old cases.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a reinforcementwhich is inexpensive to install, both by reason of the low cost ofmaterial and on account of the ease with which its installation maybevaccomplished by operatives having less than the averageskill to beexpected of those versed in the art of fabricating brief cases.

Otherobjects and advantages will appear as (Cl. ISO-1.6)

the description of the particular physical embodiment selected toillustrate the invention progresses and the novel features of theinvention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 5

In describing the invention in detail and the particular physicalembodiment selected to i1- lustrate the invention, reference will be hadto the accompanying drawing, and the several views thereof, wherein likecharacters of reference designate corresponding parts, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a leather brief case in theconstruction of which the presentinvention has been embodied;

Fig. 2 is a view of the same taken on a larger scale, in horizontaltransverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar section on the vertical plane indicated at 33, Fig.1;

Fig. 4 is a view in vertical section, on a smaller scale, of the bag ofFig. 1, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, detail sectional view on an enlarged scale,taken at one end of the case as shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a similar fragmentary detail view in vertical section on theline 1'l of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a view in elevation of one of the partitions reinforced inaccordance with the invention and shown separately.

In the .now preferred embodiment of the invention, selected forillustration, the part designated by the reference character B generallyis a leather brief case, in the construction of which a strip H ofleather forms the back panel [2 and the cover flap l3 of the case andthe front panel I4 is formed by a separate strip of leather.

At the ends designated generally by the reference characters 17 and band at the bottom b, there are gusseted components of more flexibleleather, adapted to withstand wear, and their gusset arrangement beingof the conventional bellows fold type in its general character.

The case illustrated is divided into three compartments by the tworelatively stiff, but preferably flexible, partitions l and 2, and inFig.

6 'is illustrated clearly the preferred structure which I have devisedto impart novel structural strength to this portion of the bagstructure.

Each of the partitions l and 2, and any other partition which may bedesirably so formed, is provided around its margin, with a reinforcingpanel l2 respectively, and at the corners, the,

U-shaped members are overlapped and suitably fastened together, as byrivets ID or other known or suitable means. These rivets are indicatedin Fig. 7, which illustrates the appearance'of each of the partitions,as l or 2, complete with its metal U-shaped binding strip 3, and readyfor assembly in a bellows fold as in Fig. 6. In Fig. 7 is shown indetail one of the corner joints between adjoining U-shaped strip members3, and this figure illustrates a desirable provision for securingunusual resistance to deformation of the corners of the brief-case. Forthis purpose the ends I 5 of the binding. members 3 may be madesomewhat'wider than their partitions intermediate these ends, and thiswill give a wider bearing betweenthe contiguous flat faces of theoverlapping end l5 and'will also compensate for the'metal removed toreceive the rivet l0.

From the foregoing disclosure it will vbe apparent that the novelreinforcement means provided by this invention is sturdy in structureand easy to install, as it can be applied to the partitions, as l or 2,(seeFig. 8) before the assembly thereof in the brief case structure.After such assembly thereof, as in Fig. 6, the U-shaped reinforcementstrip is concealed from'view, and is protected from casual blows such asthose encountered in use, which tend to mar the known outsidereinforcement strips, and also tend to tear them off. The U-shapedreinforcement strip, by having itseolges clamped together bycompression, after application in its position, is also characterized byits retention of the exact position in which it has been applied anddoes not creep-as do the wire reinforcing strips of prior art structureswhich have a tendency to movement along the side edges of the briefcase,

eventually breaking through the leather at the corners. I

The known, outer reinforcements are therefore more subject to casualdisplacements and are less sightly than the concealed reinforcement ofthe present invention, the presence of which is entirely concealed bythe surrounding folds of leather 5, so that the brief case presents aneat conventional appearance which persists throughout itsuseful life.

Itsusefulness, moreover, is of greatly prolonged duration, by reason ofits strong, concealed reinforcement, and the bellows folds entirely lackthe well-known tendency of such structure to bulge out, sag, and ingeneral become scuffed and. unsightly. 7

The improved construction, moreover, is susceptible ,of embodiment inexisting structures with no alterationsother than the restitching' intoplace of partition members which may be theoriginal members; theremoval, reinforcement, andreplacementof these being well within theskill of harness-makers, leather-goods fabricators,'as well as of thoseversed in the making of brief-cases; It is quite possible therefore torejuvenate brief cases, made'originally of high-- grade materials, butwhich have lost their distinction of appearance, and thus to prolongtheir useful life and restore their neatness.

While I have shown and described my invention with some degree ofparticularity, various.

changes and alterations can be made without departing from the idea ofmeans which characterizes the genericv nature of the invention.

The disclosure herein is therefore to be regarded as illustrative andnot as limitative, of the invention. 7

I claim:

1. A collapsible hand-bag, such as a brief case,

comprising afront panel, a rear panel, a single piece of flexiblematerial so folded as to form continuously a gusseted bellows structurejoining said panels and thus closing expansibly three sides of said bag;and at least one partition adapted to divide said bag, into a pluralityof compartments in substantial parallelism with the general plane ofsaid bellows structure; said partition being providedwith a marginalreinforcement strip of inherently rigid material U-shaped in crosssection, overlapping the edges of said partition, saidpartition soreinforced constituting a unitaryarticle having its reinforced marginembraced by a fold of said bellows structure and secured therewithin bya line of stitching extending through the walls of the fold and throughsaid 7 partition, closely adjacent to the open edge of the U-shapedmember.

2. A collapsible hand-bag, such as a briefcase,

comprising a front panel, a rear panel, a gusseted bellows structure offlexible material joining said panels and thus closing expansibly threesides of said bag; and at least one'partition adapted to divide said baginto a plurality of compartments in substantial parallelism with thegeneral plane of said bellows structure; said partition being providedwith a marginal reinforcement strip of sheet metal, U-shapedin crosssection, overlapping the edges of said partition, and fixed thereon,said partition so reinforced constituting a.

unitary article having its reinforced margin em.- braced by a fold ofsaid bellows structure and secured therewithin by a line ofstitching extending through the walls of the fold and through said partition andforming a pocketin said fold in whichsaid reinforcement is confined bysaid line of stitching, but is not penetrated thereby.

3. A collapsible hand-bag, such as a brief case, comprising a frontpanel, a rear panel, a gusseted bellows structure of flexible materialjoining said panels and thus closing expansibly three sides of said bag;and at least one partition adapted to divide said bag into a pluralityof compartmentsin substantial parallelism with the general plane of saidbellows structure; said partitionbeing provided with a marginalU-shaped' bellows structure and secured therewithin by a. r

line of stitching extending through the walls of the fold and throughsaid partition; said brief case being further characterized byhavingsaid reinforcement strip ormed of metal components articulated bycorner joints having enlarged areas at the joints and by having saidbellows structure fabricated as a continuous, integral strip aroundthree'sides of said brief case;

MAURICE LIFI'ON.

